£1399pp—China: 12-night tour with Great Wall & giant pandas

The thought of travelling around a country as huge as China can be daunting, but this escorted tour has everything covered from the get-go. For £1399 per person, the hassle-free package includes international flights, speedy bullet train connections, deluxe hotel stays, and daytrips with a multilingual guide. We love that you get two days in Chengdu, "the holy land among panda fans" (The Guardian)—if you're lucky, you could even spot baby panda cubs there.

What's included

• Return international flights
• All shared transfers in air-conditioned vehicles
• Three nights at the 4-star Novotel Shanghai Qingpu Excellence, Shanghai
• Bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing
• Four nights at the the 4-star Beijing Marriott Hotel Changping, Beijing
• Bullet train from Beijing to Xi’an
• Two nights at the 4-star Jianguo Hotel, Xi'an
• Bullet train from Xi’an to Chengdu
• Three nights at the 5-star Felton Gloria Grand Hotel, Chengdu
• Daily breakfast
• Excursions with an English-speaking guide

Visas for travel are not included—they cost between £170-£255 per person for UK residents and need to be secured before travel.

When
Fly from London on select dates February-May, 2024.

Depart from Manchester from £1399 per person; from Birmingham from £1499 per person; or from Bristol from £1599 per person.

Travel in June or October, 2024, from £1599 per person. 

For more information, further departure dates or airports, or to make a booking, visit Exoticca's website. Alternatively, call 020 3966 8627 and quote promo code 5426.

Itinerary
Spend three nights in Shanghai, the largest city in China. On the first day, you'll explore its diverse neighbourhoods on an included half-day walking tour, spanning the historic waterfront, the main shopping district, an authentic silk factory, and the Old City Bazaar. The next full day is at your leisure—stuff yourself with dumplings, try steaming flash-fried noodles, and get lost in a jumble of ancient pagodas and neon streets.

Next, settle in for four nights in Beijing, the enormous capital of China. A tour of the ancient Temple of Heaven, where the Ming and Qing Emperors once performed their annual harvest sacrifice, is included, as is a full-day excursion to one of the best-preserved stretches of the Great Wall of China, Juyongguan. This section is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has incredible views of the Jundu and Taihand Mountains. You'll also have a free day to wander at will, or visit extra sites like the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

In Xi'an—once the eastern starting point of the Silk Road—you'll tour the warren-like Muslim Quarter on the first day. The next morning, you'll wake bright and early for a full-day excursion to see the Terracotta Warriors, around 8000 sculpted figures buried alongside the first Emperor of China. Each statue was made to look unique, with different facial expressions, hairstyles, and clothing. 

As soon as you arrive in Chengdu, you'll know you're in the land of the giant panda—their faces are on everything from taxis to tea houses. You'll get a full-day trip to the countryside Panda Base, a non-profit research and breeding centre that has featured twice on the UN's Global 500 Roll of Honor for Environmental Achievement. In this lush, leafy parkland, you'll have the best opportunity to spot pandas as they rustle around outdoors, laze on their backs, and munch on bamboo. The site is also a breeding centre, and over 200 pandas have been born there over three decades.

There's a final free day in Chengdu, which is Unesco's first ever City of Gastronomy. Discover the teahouse culture and unique Sichuan cuisine at your own pace before flying home the next morning. 

Other options

• Solo travellers can book this trip from £1859
• Take a longer 14-night tour, which switches out Chengdu for stays in Guilin and Yangshuo, from £1499 per person

Transfers & baggage
Both are included. Checked baggage is included on some departures—check with Exoticca when booking.